The Rain Never Bothered Me
by sparklytequila
Summary: Life isn't fair, and Kiera knows it.
1. Chapter 1

She didn't mind the falling of the rain on her flushed cheeks. In fact, it felt absolutely wonderful to her. The rain was always something she looked forward to. It's coolness and smoothness never ceased to amaze and captivate her in every way possible.

At that moment, her eyes were set on a particular location. The art museum that sat just a few feet away. In one hand sat a copy of one of her favorite books, _The Labyrinth_ , and in the other was a small notepad/sketchbook that she kept on her person at all times. It contained everything from small insignificant drawings, to her many wild hopes and dreams.

Her clothes were sopping, wet and clingy, but it didn't really matter. Nobody ever judged in this museum. Everyone visiting was either completely insane, or plain weird. There was nothing the staff hadn't seen. Cosplayers? Check. Men pretending to be pregnant? Check. Weirdos such as herself who came weekly? Check.

She was nothing extraordinary when it came to the people inside. She didn't wear odd clothing or have strange looking eyes. Her usual attire consisted of a loose-fitting shirt with skinny jeans and converse.

On the outside she was nothing more than an average looking girl, but when you delved deep into the endless pit of her mind, you could find everything from the imaginable to the unimaginable. Her brain tended to focus on the impossible and the impossibly beautiful, despite that she knew for a fact that life was simply not fair.

She had come to accept that fact long ago when both of her parents kicked her out of the house after college and completely cut her off money wise. It was difficult at first, but some of her more generous relatives had been extremely helpful.

During her free-time was when she became exceptional. It was rare that you found her without the same book in her hands. The story never got old too! That was the greatest part. No matter how many time her eyes stared intensely at those beautiful pages, the story never stopped surprising, fascinating and ensnaring her.

Her footsteps were loud and squeaky on the tiled floor, yet no heads turned. Others were being way louder and were practically drowning out the sound completely.

The painting she was searching for was on the fifth floor, and it was almost never looked at. As far as she knew, nobody else even knew about it. It sat in a far corner surrounded by other pieces that were marginally more remarkable. She had found it one day while wandering the museum aimlessly. Her mind was reeling from being kicked out, and she had not been watching where her footsteps were leading her. In the end it felt as if the small landscape was practically dragging her to itself.

Yes, it was small, but Kiera hadn't really ever cared for large and loud things. What she really admired about it was it's detail and likeness to what she imagined the Labyrinth and Goblin City in her book looked like. She often found herself staring at it and thinking of how wonderful it could be to live in a world like that where nothing really ever made sense, and everything was practically magic. Of course, she realized how mean, horrible and ugly it had the capacity to be, but so did the human world. In fact, she repeatedly caught herself thinking aboveground was a much worse place to be living in.

Somedays she longed to say her right words and wish away her current life and trade it in for another in that world, but after those silly thoughts passed, she would scold herself and think that could only be possible if such things were real and the Goblin King cared for her just as he did the girl in the book.

That was unlikely. The girl in the book was highly interesting and lovely. Kiera hardly thought she was anything close to that, with her constantly knotted hair and plain and simple clothing choices. The Goblin King would merely glance at her and trap her in some sort of eternal nightmare. Or so she thought.

As she currently stood in front of the painting, she felt as if everything was spinning. Her stomach churned slightly and a ringing sound sat just at the back of her ears. This happened from time to time when she was really close to wishing everything away. The only difference with this specific occurrence was that she was far closer to actually doing it than any other time.

Everything had been such shit lately. She found her boyfriend cheating on her, and her grandmother, who had been financially supporting her when she needed it, passed away.

Too many of her nights were spent in bed with the book in hand and headphones in ears. The music and book sometimes comforted her, but not all the time. Other times would be spent in the bath crying hysterically, but she wouldn't tell anybody about that. It was far too embarrassing. Besides, people to talk to these days were scarce. They always wound up not caring, but she found herself not minding anymore. It began to be almost expected. People were shitty, and she knew it.

The paint on the canvas seemed to be blurring, and at that point in time, so did everything else in the room. Sweat ran down the side of her face, and shivers and trembles racked her body. Suddenly, her hand reached up and touched the bumpy face of the artwork. She knew she shouldn't, but something was practically screaming at her to steal it away and keep it forever where nobody would ever see it again except her. Of course, she didn't, but that didn't to change the fact that her feet did not move an inch from their spot. Her hand continued to caress the dried oil paint.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," she whispered lovingly to the inanimate object that seemed as if it was actually listening and grasping every word she spoke. "I would take you home with me, but that would make me a criminal. I've never stolen anything either. I'm afraid I would be quite terrible. I might even drop you in a puddle, and I would hate for that to happen."

The words flowed out of her mouth without any thought as to who was listening or watching her. At that point, she doubted anybody would even care. Her words were far kinder than what most people would have said to such a painting. It was simple and beautiful, yet she doubted the people who walked these halls had such a taste. She was the only one.

With shaky hands, she set _The Labyrinth_ on the ground beside her and sat down. She still gripped the notebook/sketchbook in her nimble fingers and quickly brought out a pencil and flipped to the next empty page in the forest green leather bound book.

Her hand movements were almost sloppy, but at that moment all she really cared about was getting a quick and simple sketch of it. She wanted to truly remember it and hold it in her hands at all times. Most times it seemed as if the painting itself gave her the strength to walk home again.

The world then began swimming. Her thoughts were jumbled like the rest of the room, and she was now lying on her back staring at the ceiling. Waves of acid crashed at the sides of her inner stomach and created bone chilling aches and pains that consumed her entire body. In that moment all she really wanted was relief, and she would do anything for it. With a large gulp of air, she reached her hands up to sky and shut her eyes closed almost uncomfortably.

Her voice was unwavering and precise.

"I wish the Goblin King would come and take me away." She paused thinking about her words. She then added, "Right now."

Wind and rain rushed in through open windows and beat down on her ivory colored skin. All the discomfort she originally felt completely left her system and left her feeling as light as a sheet of paper. Despite her sudden weightlessness, the heavy shower of water kept attacking her body relentlessly. It felt simply blissful.

Her eyes were still clamped shut, and she kept them as so. She couldn't bring herself to open them for fear of facing her reality. If the Goblin King was indeed standing before her, she would be taken away from everything.

There was no telling what he would do though. As she spent so much time dwelling on before, it was impossible for him to even harbor mild feelings of liking towards her, and that was if she was lucky.

Finally, her eyes slowly and unsurely blinked slightly open. At that point the only thing she could make out was a slight silhouette of a man. Her body was racked with a pleasuring shiver that had never plagued her before.

"Open your eyes, precious," he said with a silky smooth voice. Without giving it a thought, she complied shakily. There he stood, tall and proud. He was devilishly handsome and not at all like she imagined. Yeah, she had always loved those beautifully corrupted characters in books that everyone else usually despised, but she had thought him to be far less attractive. Shows what she knew…

"You… you actually came…" she breathed out, unbelieving. "I mean, I hoped you would, obviously, but I never expected you to be all tall, dark and handsome… wait scratch that. That sounded unthinkably awkward," Her words trailed off as she noticed an amused smirk sitting comfortably on his thin lips. Now _that_ irked her. "I know I'm an odd human being and all, but, seriously, am I _that_ droll?" She frowned up at him from her spot on the floor.

"To put it simply," he said with a comical lilt to his voice. "yes."

"What happens in these situations then?" she asked curiously. "I didn't wish anybody away but myself. There's nobody who would even try to run the labyrinth for me, so where exactly am I headed?" Her words were unsure and shy, but her insides were writhing with the thoughts of the possibilities. It was now his turn to frown.

"Well there is more than one option. I don't get many of your cases in the Underground, and if I'm being completely impartial, it's quite refreshing. You could run the labyrinth yourself in order to try and escape me, but from what I've observed, unlike the others before you, you actually want me to take you away." He paused momentarily to let her take in the first part of his soliloquy. "There is also the option of coming willingly with me to my castle for the rest of your life," He said with a smirk. To his surprise she stood and shook out her long honey colored hair. Her face was hard and serious now.

"Those are my only options?" Stern looking brown eyes gazed at him with a mix of curiosity and fear. A frown graced his lips again.

"Unfortunately, no. I could send you to a world of nightmares or dreams of your choosing. Anything that you could ever desire or fear would be there. Well, except maybe me."

He sucked in a short breath. "Of course, there is no guarantee that you would ever desire me, but why else would you wish your life away?"

"Look buddy," she began with a snarl. He was so unbelievably cocky, and it infuriated her. "I wished myself away because I'm selfish. I didn't want to deal with this godforsaken world anymore, so I thought that yours was the next best option. You obviously know that I've read the fucking book, and I know that your world is 'unfair', but so is aboveground. Humans. Suck." she seethed with a deep frown. He looked disheartened by this, and turned to face the window, so that he could look somewhere other than her.

"You must make your choice now," he said shortly. The frown refused to leave her unwrinkled face.

"For someone who seems to think that forever isn't that long, you're considerably impatient."

As she spoke, his body went rigid.

"I am a _king_. I have things to tend to. You are not the only mortal who has made a wish today, and I have graciously come to grant yours to _you_ and _you_ alone. You are my only concern, and I will give you all the time in the world as long as you wish me to. Now, decide, beloved, before I lose my temper."

Her body slumped back down to the ground where her belongings sat. The choices swirled around her head at record-breaking speeds. Initially she had thought that anything would've been better than where she currently stood, but now she held regrets. She didn't mean those words. At least, not really. Her emotions had gotten the best of her. That was all. She in no way harbored any feelings for the man who stood in front of her, despite what he seemed to think.

What really confused her was how kind he was being. He seemed to want her to come back to the castle and become his queen, and that thought befuddled her. What was he so interested in anyway? She was a plain mary-jane with a lackluster attitude towards her life and mediocre features, yet he seemed undeterred by these facts. He looked at her as if she was the most precious gem in the entirety of the universe. Now that was pleasing to her, but she would not let him get the best of her. With a heaving breath, she stood again.

"I am grateful for your generosity. I am," she declared quietly. His body turned to her with a slightly brightened expression on his face. This made her pause briefly, but she would not let his optimism keep her from doing what she thought was right for herself. "but I cannot willingly live in the underground." A cool breeze ran against her. "I choose to run the labyrinth. If I succeed in the allotted time given, you will return me here. If not, it is your choice what to do with me."

An ungentlemanly snort escaped his mouth, but it was quickly covered up with a stony expression.

"If that is what you choose, beloved, so it shall be. Just know now that I do not play fair. I will do anything to get what I desire, and I desire you, my queen." His voice sent shivers up her already tensed spine. "If you cannot complete the labyrinth in precisely thirteen hours, you will be sentenced to a life living in my castle as my companion."

As his final word escaped his mouth, strong and aggressive winds beat at them. Her belongings were left on the ground of the museum in a sad heap, but that mattered not. Her main concern now was making it through the labyrinth and regaining her freedom.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

In the time it took Kiera to blink the salty tears, that the wind had caused, out of her eyes, her surroundings had changed completely. She was now left standing atop a short and sandy hill with the king lingering behind her.

There was no evidence of rain ever touching her, yet she could still feel the cold she had only experienced a moment ago. His body pressing possessively against hers did nothing to warm her either. It was the type of cold that could sit within you for decades and never leave, and she suspected it was because of the magic this place held. It was completely new to her, so it was inevitable that there would be some kind of ramification, right? Right. It had nothing to do with how embarrassing her current position with the king was.

A thick silence lay in the humid air as her eyes scanned over the seemingly unsolvable labyrinth that sat only a couple hundred steps away. It didn't look that far to the castle, but everything was not as it seemed here, after all.

She was growing increasingly uncomfortable, so she whipped around and pushed the man away with a scowl. An almost hurt expression crossed his face, but it turned amused as she put a hand on her hip and frowned even deeper.

"Ready to give up yet?" he purred with a wolf-like grin. That voice sent shivers up and down her already rigid spine. It was currently unclear to her whether they were excited or disgusted shivers, but she chose to forget that thought and focus on the matter at hand. His bitchy attitude.

"Give heed to my words, bub, because I will not be saying it again," she began sternly. "I will never give up. I'm honored that you chose me and shit, but I want to go home." A light wind ran past them silently. "I want to go to the museum again, and I want to be able to write in my notebook whenever I so please. All of those things are miles out of reach now because of a stupid wish I made when I was in extreme discomfort, and it hurts like hell to know that I won't have access to them ever again if I don't solve a puzzle that is unlike any other in the Aboveground. Thank you for the consideration, but I really must be going," she seethed. "I have a labyrinth to run."

With those last words, she gave a deep and mocking bow to the king and walked calmly towards the closest wall. He shook his head with a smirk.

"What a pity indeed" he whispered to the air. Of course, she didn't hear him, but there was no doubt that she would be seeing him again. He was known all over the land for his mastery of disguise and magic, and he would be putting them to good use in the all too near future.

The bottoms of her shoes made small imprints in the sandy ground beneath her feet, and her clothes were already torn in numerous places, but she didn't look back at the king who still stood on the hill watching her. She didn't need to. The piercing gaze of his eyes burned hot on the back of her head like the sahara desert. Deciding to pretend he didn't even exist, she eyed her surroundings.

Small fairy-like creatures pranced through the air with small mischievous grins, and a short man stood to the side spraying them with what looked like poison. Her eyes narrowed, and any hint of a smile that had recently found a resting place on her face, had disappeared.

"Excuse me!" she called snarkily. The dwarf-looking fellow payed no mind to her and continued to spray the creatures without mercy. "Just what do you think you're doing?" she asked with fury evident in her tone. His form finally turned on her and a deep scowl was painted on his face. His stature was even smaller than she originally thought, and the wrinkles that lined his features were almost frightening.

"What do _you_ want?" he asked with a sneer. The way he said 'you' unnerved her.

" _I_ _want_ to know why you're being such an ass!" His face contorted with rage and annoyance. "Better yet, why the hell are you killing these poor creatures?" She bent down to her knees and scooped up one of the small things. "What did they ever do to y-" She was quickly cut off by a searing pain in her hand. "OW!" she screeched in discomfort. Now he was laughing. It was a short and cough-like chuckle that made her want to throw things. "She bit me!" His shoulders were now shaking with delight.

"What did you expect her to do? Grant wishes? God, you're all the same!" Her face sagged with fatigue.

"I expected no such thing, but I certainly didn't think she would chomp on my hand…" Her voice trailed off towards the end with weariness. All the events of the day were beginning to bring her energy level way down. "Anyway, now that I know how freaking evil these little shits are, where is the entrance to this labyrinth?" she asked while running a few fingers through her, ever-knotted, hair. A scowl crawled back onto the rumpled folds of his face.

"Well, at least you're quicker than the others. Its right over," He paused and pointed to a pair of large ornate yet ancient doors. "there."

A grin spread over her again, as she turned and walked closer to the dwarf-thingy.

"Thank you Mr. Dwarf-Man. I'm Kiera, by the way." He huffed unhappily.

"I'm Hoggle."

"Wonderful name that is," she replied smoothly before walking towards the entrance with her hands resting in the pockets of her jeans. The closer she got to commencing her journey, the more she was hit with all smells and things to hear. Leaves ruffling in nearby trees filled her ears with an intense ringing, and she pondered whether or not any birds that were native to her home dwelled here. Never had she ever heard a silence so deafening, and she was caught revelling in it.

Her feet finally passed through the entryway. On either side of her sat long narrow paths that seem to go on forever. The walls were covered in reaching vines, odd looking shrubs with human eyeballs peeking out at her, and gooey substances that would, no doubt, harm her in some way. Despite this, she let her hands drag against the rough surfaces as she walked. Every once in awhile these things would break the skin and draw little bubbles of deep crimson blood, but the pain she received was not going to slow her in any way.

A hard yet eager expression was glued to her face in every way. This place might seem highly unpleasant to a normal person, but she was savoring every second. It's not every day that a girl from Aboveground was swept off her feet and whisked away to a place some people could only visit in their dreams, after all. Or was it? The Goblin King seemed pretty experienced in this sort of endeavor… Maybe he did this often? Once she reached him at the center of the labyrinth, she was determined to ask him.

After walking for what seemed like miles, something she could only categorize as prodigious happened. It started to rain. At first it came down in a hesitant drizzle, but as soon as the first drop touched her face, it was pouring at an incomparable speed and heaviness.

As if in a trance, she stopped walking completely. Her feet refused to budge from their spot on one of the stones that lay under her feet, and for once in her life, she didn't care. The rain was almost so perfect that it was artificial, but her mind told her to ignore it and enjoy this little slice of heaven that whoever was looking out for her had bestowed upon her.

Her arms moved to stand high above her head, and slowly yet surely, her fingers spread as wide as they could and rose upward.

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Jareth sat forward in his throne with an interested expression as the girl continued to waste time dancing in the rain he had conjured. If he had known how easy it was to distract her from the beginning, he would've promised her an oasis where it rained every day.

His gloved hands were gripping the crystal a bit harder now as he noticed the euphoric contortion of her face. All he wanted was for her to look that happy when around him. It was as if she saw him as a monster. He was easily the most beautiful being in this land, and she barely even noticed. Of course, she _had_ called him attractive when first seeing him that night, but it hardly mattered now that she was running the labyrinth for her freedom rather than coming with him like he thought she would.

The goblins that dwelled in the throne room with him were being quieter than usual. They sensed his tense mood, and it seemed as if they were trying to be considerate. The occasional burp or fart completely defecated on these attempts and soured his aura further, but at least Kiera was being somewhat amusing at the moment. She had finally took to grinning like an idiot and spinning awkwardly down the pathways.

She was now in the more difficult part of the labyrinth where the twists and turns were completely visible and confusing as ever, yet her feet continued to lead her in the right direction. If he didn't act soon, she would be lost to him, and he would no longer be able to even look at her. This faintly reminded him of Sarah, but that only brought back painful memories that took him away from his current infatuation with the girl that he was viewing in his crystal.

A small sigh escaped his lips , and he tried to covered it up with a yawn or something of that territory, but the goblins still took note of it. His boredom with being king was becoming more and more apparent every day to the small creatures, and they didn't like it one bit. Jareth may have been more than cruel at some points, but past rulers had been even worse, and they had no desire to return to those days where death games to amuse the monarch were daily events.

One small female creature watched him with careful and guarded eyes. Her skin was wrinkled like the rest, and an almost grey tone donned her features, but she managed to stand out with a full head of mousy dark hair. Jareth's eyes met hers momentarily before raising an eyebrow. It was obvious to him that she had something to say but was to fearful to speak.

He finally stood and approached her, swaggering over with all the confidence in the world.

"Your gaze has gripped my attention. Voice your thoughts now, or don't make your curiosity quite so overwhelming," he commanded with arms poised on his narrow hips. The small woman shivered with unease, but she wound up cleared her throat anyway.  
"I was only pondering the thought of sending that Higgle fellow to mislead this one as well," she admitted shyly.

"This one?" he questioned with a disgusted air resonating from him. The ancient looking goblin let herself gulp once before answering.

"I'm sorry for addressing her so improperly, but you never gave us her name." She paused briefly to survey his reaction. His body remained tense and judging, but he didn't stop her, so she continued cautiously. "I'm simply saying that if she has no knowledge of Hogwart other than his, ever so easy to forget, name, then it might be wise to use him to stall her. As far as she knows, he has no connection to you at all, and from what I've seen, she already accepts him as a companion."

Her words lingered a few seconds longer than they should have in his head. He would not lie; he had certainly contemplated sending the dwarf to somehow delay her, but hearing it now from one of his subjects only reinforced the thought. Of course, it hadn't worked all that well with Sarah, but Kiera was no Sarah, and Sarah was no Kiera. They were two complete different beings with different responses to things. He stood straighter in order to display even more dominance, and cleared his throat and sent the small female goblin a wicked smile that was meant to instill greater amounts of fear in her heart.

"I will try out this feeble attempt at advice, but heed my words, my good woman. If this fails and the newest runner still makes it to this castle in her allotted time, I will catapult you head-first into the Bog of Eternal Stench," he clarified with yet another mirthful grin. Jareth then turned away from the lady and strut back to his throne where he waved a hand around dramatically and called for a servant. "Get me the dwarf," he ordered.

A new crystal was conjured to his hand. Through it he could see the girl. She no longer danced and had continued to walk normally again, but her short sleeves were rolled up even higher and she had now opted to remove her shoes. He cringed a bit at the thought of her potentially hurting her feet, but in the end, he wound up throwing the crystal to the side and forcing himself to think of other things.

"You'll give up soon enough."

 **Hey guys! I wanted to upload this quicker, but I tend to write when I'm inspired and only then, and that keeps me from getting things up quickly. Sadly I couldn't find anyone to proof-read this for me prior to publishing, so there might be some grammatical errors. If you find any, feel free to private message me so that I can fix it for you.**

 **I'm really excited for this, so expect me to stay with it till the end cause I'm determined to finish for once. In the past, I've developed a bad case of writers block whenever I try to write a serious fanfiction. You can find definite proof of that on my other account.**

 **Okay, thats enough of me. I hope you enjoyed it, and please follow and review.**

 **~Sparklytequila**


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